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Is the Pacers' 12-1 record fools' gold?

I was looking at the standings today and was pretty shocked how bad the EC is so far this season.

Currently there are THREE teams (out of 15!) in the East with a winning record. That's just atrocious. Some of the supposed "contender" teams this season round out the bottom - Brooklyn is 3-10, Knicks 3-9. Bulls are 6-6 with Rose now out indefinitely, perhaps for the season.

Given that we've only played two WC teams so far (Memphis and New Orleans), I thought I'd do some quick math and look at some numbers regarding the Pacers' hot start. Here are some interesting figures:

1) Of the 12 teams the Pacers have played so far (we've played the Bulls twice), exactly ONE of these teams currently has a winning record - Memphis at 7-6.

2) The 12 teams we've played have won 36% of their games so far combined, with a total record of 57-100.

3) Our next opponent, the TWolves, are in 10th place in the west at 8-7. That record would give them the 4th seed in the east right now, and only 1 game out from the 3 seed.

Starting one week from today the Pacers enter a pretty brutal stretch compared to the cakewalk they've had so far. In a 10-day stretch we play road games v. the Clippers, Trailblazers, Jazz, Spurs, and Thunder before returning home v. Miami. Of course the Jazz are terrible but the other five teams have a combined 52-14 record, winning 79% of their games so far(!)

I don't really have a point to all this other than to say that this team really hasn't been tested yet, at all, with the exception of the Chicago games, one of which we got our asses kicked.

The road trip will be interesting, as will the two Miami games coming up. Thoughts? Predictions? Are the Pacers really as good as their record?

Re: Is the Pacers' 12-1 record fools' gold?

Whether or not we come back down to earth...one thing is certain. The Pacers are significantly better this season. Several of our best players and the bench is clearly better. Paul is playing like a true superstar this year. Think back a year ago where he was. Lance is off the charts better this year. Instead of DJ Augustin, we have CJ Watson...a guy who can defend far better. Just on the basis of Scola instead of Tyler, we are a better team. Scola is really like a 6th man on this team. Also, none of our other good players (Hibbert, Hill and West) took a step back. They are each playing about the same if not better than last year. Is 12-1 the result of those improvements? I would say for the most part it is. We are more "in control" than last year. We have a clamp we place on teams that cracks them...kind of like the way Miami would crush teams.

Re: Is the Pacers' 12-1 record fools' gold?

Totally agree. I'm just saying, given the relative weakness of our opponents so far, is our 12-1 record really as impressive as we think it is? I think it's really hard to say.

The impressive part is not the record. The impressive part is how the team plays. The improvements that Paul George, Lance Stephenson and Roy Hibbert are exhibiting are the impressive part. The way that we stifle teams defensively is impressive. The record just indicates that the team did what a very good team was supposed to do.

Tonight, all flags must burn, in place of steeples.
Autonomy must return into the hands of the people.

Re: Is the Pacers' 12-1 record fools' gold?

You have to beat the teams you are supposed to beat in order to finish in the fight for home court advantage. I'm glad we are not taking games off early in the season just because it is early in the season. If we clinch home court by one game in the end, then these wins are pure gold.

Re: Is the Pacers' 12-1 record fools' gold?

Yes, I concur with others that 12-1 is a little over our pace. But it's not like teams are laying down for us. I think we are getting their best shot and we are actually playing well enough to beat them. Also, we have another gear this year that I don't think we had last year. We are using that gear to disrupt the opposition. Again, we are the cat.

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Re: Is the Pacers' 12-1 record fools' gold?

What is fool's gold? 12-1 is a great record no matter what NBA schedule you're playing. Like others have said, it doesn't mean the Pacers will keep up that pace BUT I do think it shows they are taking care of business and I think the performance of the team extending from last season into this one is proof positive that they are pretty good. So I guess if you mean that they won't be able to keep this same pace all season then yes. If you mean that they aren't very good in spite of their record then no.

Re: Is the Pacers' 12-1 record fools' gold?

Totally agree. I'm just saying, given the relative weakness of our opponents so far, is our 12-1 record really as impressive as we think it is? I think it's really hard to say.

impressive? maybe not.

Fools gold? That implies that our record won't be ridiculously good. The truth is, yes..the winning percentage of these teams are ugly...but they've played almost half of the teams in the league..and a majority of the Eastern Conference is struggling. A 12-1 record may be more impressive if they played in the West..or had this record in a year where the teams were better..but in terms of dominance in the East..nope.

I'd also add..that the 12 - 1 record shows maturity. Younger teams..less elite teams..lose a few of those games, not because of talent..but because of lack of maturity, focus etc.. The fact that the Pacers are 12-1 shows that this team is growing mentally.

Re: Is the Pacers' 12-1 record fools' gold?

Yes, the record is fools' gold in that there is no way the Pacers will continue to win at this pace the rest of the season.

It's obvious that we're not going to keep winning at this pace since we have currently won 92.3% of our games. That would translate to 75.68 wins over 82 games which is obviously impossible. The percentage will certainly fall but that doesn't mean that our current record is not earned so far.

Tonight, all flags must burn, in place of steeples.
Autonomy must return into the hands of the people.

Re: Is the Pacers' 12-1 record fools' gold?

It's obvious that we're not going to keep winning at this pace since we have currently won 92.3% of our games. That would translate to 75.68 wins over 82 games which is obviously impossible. The percentage will certainly fall but that doesn't mean that our current record is not earned so far.

Re: Is the Pacers' 12-1 record fools' gold?

It's obvious that we're not going to keep winning at this pace since we have currently won 92.3% of our games. That would translate to 75.68 wins over 82 games which is obviously impossible. The percentage will certainly fall but that doesn't mean that our current record is not earned so far.

Re: Is the Pacers' 12-1 record fools' gold?

One thing...do we know how good the West really is. Has there been much crossover (pardon the pun)...that is, enough of a sample size to say that?

Not looking at the games played and considering only three East teams have a winning record, a lot of those losses to those losing teams are probably from the West. Otherwise, if it was only Eastern teams vs Eastern teams each loss for an East team should equal a win for another Eastern team.

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Re: Is the Pacers' 12-1 record fools' gold?

Thanks for the responses, I'm just trying to stimulate a discussion.

I agree with most of the sentiments here. This team is really, really good. Better than last year. And yes the way we're playing is pretty awesome to watch. However our current winning percentage is clearly not going to hold forever.

Honestly, my hope for this team is the #1 seed, or at least a seed above Miami (which probably means the #1 seed).

I am a bit concerned that we are only 2 games up on those guys, with this really tough west coast trip approaching. Fingers crossed!

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Re: Is the Pacers' 12-1 record fools' gold?

I've always contended that you play the games one at a time. You can only beat the teams that the schedule places in front of you. Have we been fortunate so far in that the cream of the crop has not yet appeared on our schedule? Yes, there is no denying that.

But, I think that we should also consider that we have played a few back-to-backs and even a 5 games in 7 nights and we have come out on top in each of them. I think that speaks a lot about our players and their will to win.

In December, we have a west coast trip and also have two games each against Miami and Brooklyn. By New Year's day, we will know a lot more about our team and just how tough-minded they are. We aren't going to win all of the December games. But just like November's games, we will win a lot more than we lose.

Just like I mentioned in another thread, I am impatient as hell about this portion of our schedule. Not nervously anxious. Actually impatient. I can hardly wait. I'm stoked and ready to go. And I'll bet so are our guys in blue and gold.